Automated run-time adjustment

ABSTRACT

A method and system for automated run-time adjustment that includes an ability to start or end a scheduled recording at an earlier or later period of time. The adjustment may allow a program to be recorded in its entirety regardless of whether the program is starting late or running long. The recording period adjustments performed in accordance with the contemplated run-time adjustment may be made with reliance on data transmitted with the program in order to optionally insure the adjustment are made with respect to the actual content and not some pre-determined or arbitrary recording extension inputted by a user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No.12/256,728, filed 23 Oct. 2008, which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to automatically adjusting recordingperiods depending on run-time variations of recorded content, such asbut not limited to adjusting a beginning or ending of a recording perioddepending on whether a recorded television program is running shorter orlonger than its scheduled run-time.

BACKGROUND

The broadcast or transmission of television programs and other types ofcontent is typically based on a scheduled run-time wherein the run-timespecifies a period of time during which the program will be available.The run-time is defined by a scheduled starting and ending time, suchfrom 1 pm to 4 pm. Not all programs start or finish at the scheduledstarting or ending times. The actual length of a sporting event, awardsshow, or other live event may actually run longer or shorter than thescheduled run-time.

Electronic programming guides (EPGs), digital video recorders (DVRs),and other interfaces and/or devices used to record or to direct therecording of content rely on the scheduled run-time to set a recordingperiod during which the content is actively recorded. If the actualprogram length differs from the scheduled run-time, the recording lengthdiffers from that which is necessary to record the actual showing of theprogram. This can result in too little or too much recording of thetelevision channel or content stream showing the program.

Ending the recording period after the actual completion of the programis more preferable than ending the recording prior to the actualcompletion of the program. A recording system may provide a user with anoption to add additional recording time to the end of the scheduledrun-time in the hope of assuring that the additional, user selectedperiod is sufficient to cover the actual ending of the program shouldthe program run past the scheduled recording time. In some cases, thisadditional recording time may simply result in excessive, unnecessaryrecordings and in other cases, it still may not be sufficient to recordthe actual completion of the program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is pointed out with particularity in the appendedclaims. However, other features of the present invention will becomemore apparent and the present invention will be best understood byreferring to the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompany drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured to facilitate automated run-timeadjustment in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a digital television closed captioning (DTVCC) signalthat may be used to facilitate transmitting a program in accordance withone non-limiting aspect of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a method of automated run-time adjustment inaccordance with one non-limiting aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 configured to facilitate automatedrun-time adjustment in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of thepresent invention. The system 10 is shown for exemplary purposes asbeing adapted for use in a television environment where a serviceprovider 12 electronically delivers television signals over a network 14to a subscriber location 16. The subscriber location may include a localrecording device 18 configured to record the transmitted signals forsubsequent playback. The system 10 includes a run-time adjuster 20configured to automatically adjust the recording performed by therecorder 18 depending on whether a to be recorded program is actuallyrunning longer or shorter than its scheduled run-time.

The service provider 12 may relate to any provider of services, such asbut not limited to a broadcast, cable, or satellite service provider,and/or other providers of data, audio, or telecommunication services.The service provider 12, for exemplary purposes, is predominatelydescribed with respect to transmitting television signals for recordingby the recorder 18. The present invention is not intended to be solimited and fully contemplates the transmission and recording or anytype of content, and not just the exemplary described television signalsand related television programs.

The recording of the television signals is shown to take place locallyat the subscriber location 16 in order to illustrate one exemplaryconfiguration of the present invention. This type of local recording maytake place on a digital video recorder (DVR), settop box (STB),computer, or other device having capabilities sufficient to facilitatethe operations contemplated by the present invention. The recorder 18may include an input/output feature 22, such as a tuner, to facilitateoperations necessary to capturing the program and other data associatedwith the program from the transmitted signals for storage on a storagemedium 24, processing by a processor 26, and/or for output to a display(not shown).

The recorder 18 resides at the subscriber location to facilitatesubscriber-location originating playback of recorded content. Therecorder 18, however, may be located remotely from the subscriberlocation 16, such as at a cable television headend unit, network server,etc., and configured to playback the recording for on-demand viewing atthe subscriber location 16. Optionally, the recorder 18 may be based atthe subscriber location 16 and configured to support remote playback atlocations beyond the subscriber location 16, such as on a mobile phone,portable device, or other node associated with or independent of thenetwork 14 used to carry the related signals.

The run-time adjuster 20 may be configured to support the run-timerecording adjustment contemplated by the present invention. The adjuster20 is shown to be in remote communication with the service provider 12and recorder 18 in order to show its versatility in executing run-timeadjustment for any number of recorders regardless of a location of therecorders 18. This is done for exemplary purposes and without intendingto limit the scope and contemplation of the present invention. Theadjuster 20 may be the illustrated standalone element/controller and/oran integrated feature integrated into the recording device 18 and/oranother device in communication therewith.

The run-time adjuster 20 may be configured in accordance with onenon-limiting aspect to of the present invention to facilitate automatedrun-time adjustment to recordings performed by the recorder 18. This mayinclude, for example, adjusting a starting or ending time of a recordingrelative to a scheduled starting and ending time in order to compensatefor the recorded event actually starting earlier or later than thescheduled starting time and/or the recorded event actually endingearlier or later than the scheduled ending time. This allows the presentinvention to facilitate recordings that are limited to recording contentactually desired by a subscriber, instead of arbitrarily recording moreor less of the content without regard to the actually “real-life”progression of the content being recorded.

The automated run-time adjustment contemplated by the present inventionis predominately described with respect to recording a sporting event orother live event where a scheduled starting time of the event is likelyto correspond with an actual starting time of the event but where thescheduled ending time of the event is unlikely to exactly correspondwith an actual ending time of the event. Of course, as noted above anddescribed below in more detail, the present invention is not limited tothis example and may be used to support adjusting other recordingrun-time parameters.

The run-time adjuster 20 may be configured to facilitate run-timeadjustments according to information or metadata transmitted with therecorded signals so that the recording is not stopped at the scheduledending time, but instead, stopped short of the scheduled ending shouldthe program actually end earlier than expected to or extended beyond thescheduled ending should the program actually run longer than expected.This may be accomplished with the run-time adjuster monitoring therelated signal transmission for the presence of a particular piece ofdata. The run-time adjuster 20 may determine the program to be ongoingas long as the piece of data is present and/or if the data has not beenchanged.

The run-time adjuster 20 may be configured to monitor the presence orchange of any type or piece of data that can be used to assess alikelihood that the program being recording is actually still ongoing.As such, the present invention is not necessary limited, unlessotherwise specified, to relying on any one particular piece or type ofdata when making run-time adjustments to parameters used by therecording to control the starting and ending times of a recordingperiod.

FIG. 2 illustrates a digital television closed captioning (DTVCC) signal28 that may be used to facilitate transmitting a program to be recordedby the recorder in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of thepresent invention. As shown, the signal 28 may include an audio portion30, a video portion 32, and a control portion 34. These portions maycomprise the information necessary to facilitate all or at least many ofthe controls and features commonly used in cable and satellitetelevision industries to support electronic programming guides (EPGs),closed captioning text display, etc.

The video portion 32 may include a closed caption portion that carriesinformation related to closed caption services, such as servicesassociated with displaying closed caption texts on a television screenand other services where information specific to the transmitted contentis relied upon to support content specific operations.

The closed caption portion may be divided into captioned andnon-captioned data. The captioned data includes data that reflectsongoing events in the program, such as data used to facilitate the textdisplayed on the screen that represents audio communication taking placein the program. The captioned data may be generated and updatedcontinuously throughout the program, and typically, immediately afteroccurrence of a particular action within the event, as opposed to beingdetermined before the event or before transmission of the program.

The non-captioned data, in contrast, includes extended data services(XDS) data and/or other similar types of data that is not necessarilychanging throughout the program, such as information related to programtitle and genre. In the closed caption portion of the signal thisnon-caption data can be considered, and hereinafter periodicallyreferred to as, “program information data” that is determined before theprogram is transmitted and fixed throughout the period of transmission.

Depending on the signal transmission protocols and standards used tosupport signal transmissions, such as moving pictures expert groups(MPEG) and advanced/nation television system committee (ATSC/NTSC),various types of program information data may be used to support theoperations contemplated by the present invention. Some programming maycontain Program and System Information Protocols (PSIP) data. This PSIPdata may be delivered independently of caption data and may includespecific program details about one or more simultaneous programs presentin a given transport stream. Like XDS data, the PSIP data may includetitle and genre information. Program and system information protocol(PSIP) data and extended data service (XDS) data are at least two of thetypes of program information data that may be used to facilitate theoperations contemplated by the present invention.

The program information data may be advantageous in reducing processingand storage demands on the run-time adjuster since it is not necessarilychanging throughout the program transmission, or at least not as oftenas the captioned data is changing. The program information data may bespecified prior to transmission of the program and remain constantthrough the entire program. In some case, the program information datamay only be periodically transmitted in a carrousel arrangement ortransmitted when it is changed such that the last transmission ofprogram information data may be used by the run-time adjuster until asubsequent transmission is received.

Changes to the program information data typically only occur when aparticular television channel or other data stream used to transmit theprogram begins to transmit another program scheduled to air after therecorded program. One non-limiting aspect of the present inventioncontemplates assessing this change in program information data andadjusting the scheduled recording period depending on whether the changeis occurring before or after the scheduled ending of the recordingperiod. The run-time adjuster can be configured to monitor for thepresence of one or more pieces of the program information data and toinstruct the recorder to stop recording, either before or after thescheduled ending, depending on the continued presence or change of themonitored program information data.

Beyond just stopping a recording, the run-time adjuster may beconfigured to facilitate adjusting a scheduled recording of a programfollowing a program that has exceeded is scheduled run-time. This mayinclude the run-time adjuster delaying recording of the followingprogram until the change in non-captioned data reflects the end of theprior showing program and/or by instructing the recorder to record thefollowing program from another channel, such as if another channel isconstructed in switched or on-demand system to support on-timetransmission of the following program. The run-time adjuster can be usedin this manner to adjust recording periods for any number of scheduledrecordings depending on whether the programming is varying from itsscheduled run-time and/or depending on whether a prior program hasvaried form its scheduled run-time.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart 38 of method of automated run-timeadjustment in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention. The method may be implemented with the assistance of acomputer-readable medium and/or with the assistance of any number oflogically processing elements used within any environment applicable tothe present invention, such as with the assistance of the abovedescribed run-time adjuster and recorder. Each of the operationsdescribed below need not necessarily be executed or executed in thedescribed order as variations may be made in accordance with the scopeand contemplation of the present invention.

Block 40 relates to assessing whether a scheduled recording is inprogress. This may occur before the program actually beginstransmitting, such as when a subscriber manipulates an EPG to schedulerecording of a program to be aired at a later point in time, and/orafter the recorder has begun recording signals used to transmit theprogram. In either scenario, block 40 generally relates to assessing adesire to record a program scheduled to run for a particular period oftime and assessing the scheduled beginning and ending of the recordingperiod.

Block 42 relates to determining data relevant to assessing progress ofthe program destined to be recorded. This may include reliance on theabove-identified non-captioned/program information data, as referencedto in the flow chart as ‘key XDS packets.’ Other types of data, however,may be used without deviating from the scope and contemplation of thepresent invention. The monitored data may be of the type that changeswith the programs being broadcasted such that they are specific to theprogram and/or other programs commonly falling within a relatedclassification captured by the data.

Optionally, the data may be assigned and associated with the program inadvance of its transmission. This information can be stored in a look-uptable at the service provider or other medium accessible to the run-timeadjuster so that it can be cross-referenced with signals beingtransmitted to a subscriber associated with the recording recorder toassess whether the program to be record has begun or ended. Blocks 44,46 relate to assessing whether the data is of a first or second type inorder to limit how long the recording period is extended as a functionthe reliability or believability that the monitored data accuratelyreflects the actual ending of the program.

Block 44 relates to assessing whether the monitored data is of the firsttype, or as labeled in the Figure as being ‘key’. The first type of datamay be a more reliable indicator of the program being transmitted thandata of the second type. For example, a piece of data of the first typemay be a title of the program whereas a piece of data of the second typemay be a genre of the program. While both pieces of data are specific tothe program, the first piece is more likely to be a better indicator ofthe program than the second piece since the second piece may be usedwith a following program. An assessment of the likelihood of the pieceof data being specific to the program or a following program may be madeto determine whether the data is of the first or second type.

If the data is of the more reliable first type, the data is stored inblock 48 to facilitate monitoring for its continued presence in block50. Its presence may be determined as long as the data is still carriedwithin the transmitted signals and/or as long as the run-time adjusterhas not received any changes to previously received data. Block 50includes monitoring the channel currently being recorded to assesswhether it includes data of the first type, and if it does, determiningin block 52 whether that data corresponds with data assigned to theprogrammed identified for recording. If data of the first type ispresent and fails to match the stored data, then block 54 is reached andthe recording is stopped. If the data matches the stored data, block 50is returned to and the recording continues until the data changes.

In some cases the data may change without being replaced with otherdata, such as if the monitored data is no longer carried within thetransmitted data. This may occur, for example, when a following programbegins transmitting and does not employee the same data field. This typeof scenario can optionally be detected with reliance on othertransmitted data so that this absence of the monitored data is notconfused with the monitored data intentionally being absent betweenintermittent data transmissions. Block 56 sets a delay timer for whichthe recording is allowed to continue while block 50 continues to monitorfor the presence of the monitored data. If, after some limited number ofcycles the monitored data does not re-appear, block 54 is reached andthe recording is stopped.

This process of monitoring for the data of the first type allows for theindefinite recording of the program as long as the monitored data ispresent within the transmitted signals. To guard against briefinterruptions and the like, the optional delay timer may be added toinsure that the recording is not inadvertently stopped due to atemporary absence of the monitored data. If data of the first type isnot available, such as if there is no obligation to send the data or thedata sent is vague and/or not necessarily a believable, unique indicatorof the program, block 46 assesses the presence of data of the lessreliable second type. The present data is stored in block 60 tofacilitate monitoring for its continued presence in block 62.

The presence of the less reliable data of the second type may bedetermined as long as the monitored data is still carried within thetransmitted signals and/or as long as the run-time adjuster has notreceived any changes to previously received data. Block 62 includesmonitoring the channel currently being recorded to assess whether itincludes data of the second type, and if it does, determining in block64 whether that data corresponds with data assigned to the programmedidentified for recording. If the data matches the stored data, block 62is returned to and the recording continues until the data changes.

Block 66 sets an over-run limit timer to correspond with some finiteperiod of time for which the ending of the recording period may beextended before the recording is terminated in block 54. This finiteperiod of time insures that the recording is not indefinitely extendedbased on the less reliable data of the second type. Because there is agreater chance that data of the second type could be used in a followingprogram, the finite extension period prevents the ending of therecording from being extended too long and only to a certain degree thatbalances the recording extension according to the likely accuracy of thedata relied on to extend the recording.

If data of the second type is no longer present, then block 68 isreached and the end of the recording is not adjusted so that it ends asoriginally scheduled. This process of monitoring for the data of thesecond type allows for the finite recording of the program, even if themonitored data is present within the transmitted signals. Unlike themore reliable data, the data of the second type cannot be used to permitthe indefinite extensions of the recording period beyond the scheduledending. Optionally, the extensions based on the more reliable data ofthe first type may be capped if the period of time runs so long that itbecomes more likely than not that an error has occurred within thesystem.

As supported above, DVRs (VCRs) or other television recording systemsmay fail to capture the end of programs that run overtime when the userdoesn't anticipate a longer program or manually extend the recordingduration. This may be because the event schedule information used tocontrol the start and stop points for the recoding are not adjusted inreal-time with the actual, ‘real-life’ progress of the program. Thisscheduled event information (electronic program guide data) may bedifficult to update in real time and the delivery mechanisms for thisdata takes so long that the recording device is unable to respond withthe needed reaction time to extend a program while it happens.

The FCC has recently enacted rules (FCC-07-228A1) to force broadcastersto provide more time-sensitive updates to the event information tablesin PSIP (event schedule information). While these new rules may behelpful they are not sufficient to solve the real-time recordingextension problem because they do not address the transmission timerequired for data carousels to deliver the updates, nor do they specifythe frequency by which the receiver needs to reacquire the eventinformation tables used to control the recording.

The pending FCC rules also require or presuppose that each localaffiliate broadcaster has the necessary and expensive station automationsystems needed to couple real-time programming changes directly to thePSIP generators. Since many of these smaller markets are unlikely tospend the money to add this station automation gear, the FCC is likelyto give such stations a wavier, creating a fragmented market where onlysome stations provide the real-time PSIP updates.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention solves a long-standingproblem with recordings of live events that run overtime. It does sowithout the need for additional equipment or signaling and it appliesequally to broadcast, satellite or cable distribution of videoprogramming. One non-limiting aspect of the present inventioncontemplates achieving this with a recording controller application in arecording device being modified to include the ability to read certainprogram specific data available in either analog television signals asline-21 data or in digital (MPEG) program streams as video user bits.Both of these types of data may be designed to provide frame-accuratereal time data for captioning as well as “extended data services” (XDS),i.e., one element of the XDS data is the parameter for program-name orprogram description.

This data is typically inserted when the captions are provided and isdistributed as part of the video stream. Because this data is tied tothe video, it almost always is switched when the program changes fromone event to another. For live events, such as sporting events, awardshows or other live events, the caption stream is provided in real timeas part of the production process. A sporting event that runs long, willcontinue to include real-time caption data that includes the proper nameof the program, even when the PSIP or schedule information is notupdated. When the first program finally ends beyond its scheduled endtime, and the station switches to the normally scheduled program, thatprogram will by definition have a separate caption stream (just like ithas a separate audio stream).

The transition (or lack of one) between these two streams can bedetected and used to extend or determine the true end-of-program for thepurposes of a recording. For analog programming, XDS data can be foundon Line-21, field 2. For digital (MPEG) programming, XDS data can befound within the video user bits, and the DTVCC stream, identified ascc_type=00 or 01 as shown in FIG. 2. One non-limiting aspect of thepresent invention contemplates, a few minutes before the recordingcontrol application senses the scheduled end of a recording event,capturing this XDS data and monitor key data fields for relevantchanges, depending on the content or source, only some of these datafields may be populated. If key fields are detected and are not updatedwith new information at the time the scheduled recording is due to end,the recording control application can extend the recording as neededuntil either the key fields detected are changed, or have ended. Thechanging of these key fields will be an indication that a new programhas begun and the scheduled recording will finally end. The changing ofthese key data fields (packets) can also be used to signal earlytermination of a recording when an event ends before the scheduled time.The key data fields (packets) that may be used to detect programcontinuation include: Current Class 0x03 Program Name; Current Class0x0C Composite Packet-1; Current Class 0x0D Composite Packet-2; CurrentClass 0x10 to 0x17 Program Description.

While the following packets may not be deterministic regarding theextension of a given program, they may be used to recognize thebeginning of a new program with certainty when they change: CurrentClass 0x04 Program Type; Current Class 0x05 Content Advisory; CurrentClass 0x06 Audio Services; Current Class 0x08 Copy and RedistributionControl Packet. These can be used to identify early termination of theprogram and they may be used with additional logic to extend the programin the event that the deterministic packets identified above are notpresent in the stream. If one or more of these packets are detected, andupdated some period after the scheduled recording was due to expire, itwill indicate with certainty that a new program has started.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A runtime adjustment system configured to adjusta recording time of a media program having a start time and an end time,comprising: a runtime detector having a first input for receiving, froma video source providing the media program, a digital signalfacilitating transmission of the media program, wherein the digitalsignal includes video data and runtime adjustment data specific to themedia program, and wherein the runtime detector is configured to monitorthe digital signal and detect the runtime adjustment data and having afirst output for transmitting a result based on the runtime adjustmentdata; and a runtime adjuster having a second input for receiving theresult based on the runtime adjustment data from the first output of theruntime detector and having a second output configured to control therecording time as a function of the result based on the runtimeadjustment data of a media program recording device equipped to recordthe media program between the start time and the end time.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the runtime adjuster controls the recording time ofthe media program recording device by adjusting the end time of themedia program as a function of the result based on the detected runtimeadjustment data.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the runtime adjustercontrols the recording time of the media program recording device byadjusting the start time of the media program as a function of theresult based on the detected runtime adjustment data.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the detected runtime adjustment data associated withthe media program is data continuously present during transmission ofthe media program.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein runtime adjustmentdata is uniquely associated with the media program.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the runtime adjustment data is assigned and associatedwith the media program in advance of its transmission.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the runtime adjuster adjusts record time based on dataassociated with MPEG data, XDS data, or PSIP data.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising the recording device having a device input,a first device output, a non-transient storage medium, and a processor,wherein the recording device is configured to receive instructions fromthe runtime adjuster at the device input which are processed by theprocessor to extend the end time of the media program as a function ofthe result based on the detected runtime adjustment data.
 9. The systemof claim 8, wherein the recording device is a remotely located recordingdevice not at the user's location.
 10. The system of claim 9, whereinthe remotely located recording device is a network server.
 11. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the remotely located recording device islocated at a cable headend unit.
 12. A media recording system withremote playback capabilities, comprising: a recorder in electroniccommunication with a storage medium configured to capture media contenttransmitted over a device a first network from a media service providerand storing the captured media content on the storage medium as recordedmedia content, wherein the captured media content includes video dataand program information data different from the video data, and whereina runtime of the captured media content is based on the programinformation data specific to the captured media content; and a remoteplayback device configured to transmit the captured media content fromthe storage medium to a remotely located playback device at least inpart over a second network upon request by a user.
 13. The mediarecording system of claim 12, wherein the recorder is a local recordingdevice that resides at the user's primary residence capable ofelectronic communication with a local on-demand playback device at theuser's primary residence and a remote on-demand playback device locatedremotely from the user's primary residence.
 14. The media recordingsystem of claim 13, further comprising the storage medium and whereinthe recorder, the storage medium, and the remote playback device areconfigured as a single unit and selected from the group consisting of adigital video recorder, a set-top box, a network server, and a computer.15. The media recording system of claim 12, wherein the recorder is aremotely located recording device implemented by one or more networkservers capable of electronic communication with an on-demand playbackdevice at the user's primary residence and a mobile on-demand playbackdevice capable of being located remotely from the user's primaryresidence.
 16. The media recording system of claim 12, wherein therecorder is a remote recording device located at a headend devicecapable of electronic communication with an on-demand playback device atthe user's primary residence and a mobile on-demand playback devicelocated remotely from the user's primary residence.
 17. The mediarecording system of claim 12, wherein the first network and the secondnetwork are the same network.
 18. The media recording system of claim12, wherein the recorded media content is recorded from a signaltransmitted over the first network to the storage medium and played backfrom a signal transmitted over the second network to a remote on-demandplayback device.
 19. The media recording system of claim 12, wherein thefirst network is a network associated with a cable network.
 20. Therecorder of claim 19, wherein remote playback occurs on a node remotefrom the user's primary residence and associated with the first network.21. The recorder of claim 19, wherein remote playback occurs on a noderemote from the user's primary residence and associated with the secondnetwork.
 22. The recorder of claim 19, wherein the second network is anetwork associated with a mobile telephone network.
 23. The recorder ofclaim 19, wherein the second network is the Internet.